The present invention relates to an improved voice control system. In the prior art, systems are known which incorporate therewith voice recognition and speech synthesizer chip technology. However, to Applicant's knowledge, none of the prior art, taken either alone or in combination teaches a system which utilizes such technology in the manner contemplated by applicant. The following prior art is known to applicant:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,724 to Byrum, et al. discloses a voice actuated telephone directory assistance system designed to interface with the telephone wherein the user spells the name letter by letter that the user wishes to call and a voice recognition device connected with a computer recognizes the name of the person as spelled out, finds the number and audibly gives it to the user. This system is significantly different from the teachings of the present invention for many reasons including the fact that patented system does not interface between a keyboard and the computer itself, the patented system does not include a way to be preprogrammed for commands which would be utilized to operate existing software packages, the patented system does not work with storage and down loading from the existing computer's diskette to RAM storage, the patented system does not have routines in a ROM memory in order to select program commands and so as to interface with the computer via the keyboard input port and down load program from diskette to RAM memory via the keyboard port, the system requires the user to spell a name one letter at a time whereas the present invention acts to respond to spoken words, and also, the patented system does not have any ability to be "trained" to respond to entire words.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,470 to An discloses an audio signal recognition computer which includes a mode wherein the system is trained to recognize the voice of the user. The system includes a switching device which switches the system between the training circuit for a recognizer circuit wherein data which has been trained into the device can be recognized thereby. This system is significantly different from the present invention because the present invention is not a voice recognition system per se, but rather is a system which is electrically connected between a computer and the associated keyboard so as to provide the option of using voice commands combined with keyboard input for specific programs while retaining the option of utilizing the keyboard directly. While the present invention may utilize the electronics of this patent, the present invention uses them in a vastly different and improved way.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,495 to Hitchcock discloses a speech recognition microcomputer which is designated to be independent of a particular user and which identifies vowel-like fricative-like and silence signal states within a word or phrase so as to recognize a preprogrammed vocabulary. This invention utilizes templates defining the limited vocabulary with which the device may be operated with the limited vocabulary stored in the microcomputer memory. This system, while slightly improving upon the teachings of An as described hereinabove, is still significantly different from the present invention for the same reasons as set forth above regarding An. Further, it is noted that the present invention is distinct from this patent because the words which are programmed into the system in accordance with the present invention are specifically chosen so as to comprise commands to operate existing software packages.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,233 to Brantingham discloses a speech synthesis system with parameter lookup table which uses preprogrammed speech synthesis responses which correspond to the user's keyboard input. The system comprises a self-contained educational system but is significantly different from the teachings of the present invention because the patented device is not designed nor intended to be utilized with existing preprogrammed computer software so as to comprise commands to operate such software. Also, the patented system does not include any voice recognition capabilities.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,080 to Johnstone, et al. discloses a voice actuated machine control device which may be utilized so as to operate a machine tool through voice commands inputted into a microphone which are transmitted into a logic circuit. The device includes structure for interpreting commands received from the operator which structure feeds these commands to a machine tool control system which, responsive to the commands, operates the machine. The present invention is significantly different from the teachings of this patent for many reasons. Firstly, in the present invention, the inventive system is electrically connected between the keyboard and the computer of an existing system whereas this is not the case with the patented invention. Further, the present invention may be programmed to respond to a number of commands to operate existing computer software programs which is not contemplated in the patent. Further, the present invention may be preprogrammed to guide the user to train the system for the exact commands which are desired. Such is not the case in the patent. Additionally, in the present invention, voice commands are given to the computer as if they were keyboard inputs or alternatively, keyboard inputs may be used to provide the exact same commands. Other differences exist but it is believed that the above-described differences are sufficient to demonstrate that the present invention is distinct from the teachings of this patent.
Publication entitled "Key Tronic Speech Recognition in a Keyboard Peripheral" discloses a speech recognition keyboard including the speech recognition circuitry built into the keyboard itself so that if one wishes to use this device, one must replace the existing keyboard with the Key Tronic keyboard. This is different from the teachings of the present invention wherein the present invention is merely incorporated into the circuitry between the existing keyboard and computer and operates in a manner so that the keyboard functions are maintained in a superior hierarchy to the voice recognition functions so that the user may either utilize the voice recognition functions or the keyboard, whichever is desired.
Further, the Key Tronic device includes an applications mode wherein the keyboard and speech recognition unit act independently of the host computer and the host computer requires a bidirectional link during the time that the speech pattern is up loaded and down loaded. The system further includes a set-up mode which may be initiated by running a voice utility program on the host computer. This program sends various commands to the Key Tronic Keyboard and receives responses back. While in the set up mode, the user may create a vocabulary, train a vocabulary, test a vocabulary and up load/down load a vocabulary. Other aspects of the Key Tronic device should be self-evident. The Key Tronic device is significantly different from the teachings of the present invention because the present invention is easily operated merely by pressing function keys, the present invention is preprogrammed to function so as to transmit commands for specific pre-existing software programs, the present invention's training is preprogrammed, the present invention does not require replacing the keyboard but operates in conjunction with the existing keyboard and further, the present invention does not include an application program in the computer's RAM memory since everything is controlled from the ROM memory of the inventive system, thus, avoiding the necessity for the user to think.
Publication entitled "IntroVoice III, Speech recognition in an Enhanced IBM Keyboard" discloses a system quite similar to the Key Tronic system and as such is distinct from the teachings of the present invention for the same reasons as set forth hereinabove concerning the Key Tronic system.
Other voice recognition systems are known to Applicant. These systems are (1) the Vocalink Model SRB Speech Recognition Board, (2) the NEC SR-100 Voice Input Terminal, and (3) the Micromint Lis'ner 1000 Voice Recognition and Synthesis Board. Each of these systems is distinct from the present invention in that each system needs a board which is to be plugged into a computer slot in a similar manner to an input slot inside an IBM personal computer. Thus, the computer will therefore have one less slot available for other uses and further the computer will need a utility program to run in the personal computer's RAM memory in order to direct input from the specific slot, to be treated as a keyboard input. This results in the personal computer's RAM memory being at all times occupied by this utility program which means that the system cannot run programs which require this RAM memory space. These systems, additionally, are different from the present invention in that (1) in each case, a board is needed to be inserted into a slot in the computer, (2) none of the systems has preprogrammed set-ups for a specific program, (3) none of the systems may be operated by merely pressing function keys, (4) each of the systems requires an application program to reside in the computer's RAM memory at all times, (5) none of the systems utilizes a preprogrammed training mode to train the computer to receive selected commands, and (6) none of the systems up loads and down loads over the keyboard input port.
Accordingly, a need has developed for improved voice control systems which may be simply incorporated into an existing computer system, which may easily be trained and which may be used in a simple way to control a computer when using existing software packages.